Armor Frame
Armor Frames, commonly referred to as "Frames", "AFs", or "Mechs" are weapons of war that were developed during the Colonial Wars. They are large and designed for movement over all types of terrain. Armor Frame Components *'Limbs': The Armor Frame's legs and arms are made using powerful hydraulics as well as actuators that serve as joints. Their downfall is that they are a bit clunky. *'Armor': The Armor Frame's armor is made of thick titanium-steel alloy. This covers the Mech in areas all but important joints that must remain free to function. The alloy is resistant to extreme temperatures and HEAT rounds, but not impervious, it is superior in comparison to regular Tank armor, though. The armor can take significant punishment from high-powered ballistic weapons as well, but when concentrated on it can be worn down eventually. *'Internal Engine': The Armor Frame requires a large amount of energy to operate successfully, this means it requires the use of Fusion Engines. Fusion Engines utilize nuclear fusion, similar to what is seen in stars to function. Because of the small size of the Reactors within the Engines, accidental explosions caused by malfunctions or damage aren't very large, but nonetheless dangerous. *'Heat Sinks': Because of the heat that is generated by the Fusion Engine, the disposal of that heat is required to operate correctly. The torso is standardly equipped with Heat Sinks that disperse heat from the Engine to keep it cool and prevent malfunction from overheating. Overheating is still a possibility during combat, however, due to the heat that can be produced by the stress of combat as well as heat caused by firing Weapons the Armor Frame can reach dangerous levels of heat. If overheating from combat occurs the Mech will be put into a low-power mode for a few seconds as it redirects all of the Mech's energy to dissipating that extra heat buildup, leaving the Mech and Pilot vulnerable for a little while. An experienced Pilot keeps one eye on the target and one eye on his Heat Guage. *'Cockpit': The cockpit of a Mech is designed for ease of use. It comes equipped with padded seating for general comfort as well as protection from impact, life support that monitors the Pilot's vitals and can administer drugs or medicine in certain emergency cases, the cockpit also comes with a standard Command Console which has various instruments that control the Mech, each cockpit also comes with a basic HUD(heads up display) that displays Mech status, Pilot status, rear view, etc. Each cockpit also comes with two "joysticks" for easy control over Mech orientation. Lastly, many Mechs come with a V.R. display that shows the battlefield in front of the Pilot as if it was a window with a 190 degree view. The cockpit is also a pressure sealed environment, completely isolated from the outside, allowing operation underwater, under extreme pressures or in the vacuum of space. Some very large Armor Frames require more than one Pilot to operate it. When this is the case, the cockpit can come with enough equipment for each Pilot. *'Jump Jets and Thrusters': Each Armor Frame comes with a pair of Jump Jets, thrusters that allow easy take off and landing of the Mech. This allows the Mech to get to out of reach places or move quickly. The Jump Jets use traditional combustion and are similar to Rocket Thrusters in design. They mostly rely on a type of fuel called Y-Fuel. Y-Fuel is actually a mixture of chemicals and fungus. The fungus replicates while mixed with the chemicals, essentially allowing an eternal fuel supply for the Jump Jets. However, manufacture of Y-Fuel is fairly difficult due to the scarcity of the fungus used in it as well as the high failure rate of interaction between the fungus and the chemicals. Main thrusters are usually located on the rear of the Armor Frame's torso. Additional thrusters are usually found on the legs or the bottom of feet. *'Autonomous System/Parallel Processes': Each Armor Frame comes equipped with an Artificial Intelligence, the AI operates parallel with the Mech's non-autonomous systems, the AI controls basic autonomous systems such the HUD, reactive movement of the legs, feet, and arms; the Mech's status, etc. The AI used in Armor Frames are often called "Dumb AI" due to these simple operations it must make. Trivia The first mech wasn't a war machine, instead, it was a construction vehicle. It was quadrupedal and featured a large crane. It was designed with intentions of allowing easier building in a more diverse range of locations.